As the PE and Sport Premium turns 11, is it time for it to leave primary school?
[This blog was originally posted by Davies Sport in September 2024]
June 2025
The Primary PE and Sport Premium (Premium), announced in March 2013, has left an indelible mark on primary education, with over £2.5 billion invested in improving physical education (PE) and school sport. As the Premium reaches its 11 birthday, I reflect upon its past present and future and hear from educators who have managed this funding over the last decade.
The Past
The origins of the Primary PE and Sport Premium can be traced back to July 5, 2012, when then-Prime Minister David Cameron announced a major financial commitment to PE and school sport. This was part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, aimed at "Inspiring a Generation." With funding from three government departments—Health, Education, and Culture, Media, and Sport—the Premium sought to harness the excitement of the Games and boost physical activity in schools.
By September 2013, schools began to receive funding, now around £18,000 annually per school. To date, this investment has reached approximately £177,000 per eligible school. No other subject in recent time can boast of this level of additional funding, on this scale, in the primary curriculum.
The original purpose of the Premium was to promote sustainable and impactful improvements in PE and school sport. The goal was to build capacity in schools and ensure long-lasting benefits for future children and young people. Eleven years later, we must ask: has it lived up to that vision?
The Present
The impact of the Premium is best understood through the eyes of those most closely involved—teachers. While there is limited national data on its long-term effects, schools have valuable insights into how the Premium has shaped their PE and sport provision.
One experienced PE leader reflected on the evolution of spending priorities:
“How we have spent our Premium has changed a lot. Looking back at 2013/14, our focus was on subject leader buyout, teacher CPD and ensuring we had a well stocked PE cupboard. Our focus now has shifted much more to whole school physical activity and how to get children moving more”. (PE Subject Leader of 12 years)
Another primary PE subject leader noted the Premium’s reliance on external providers:
“I am not sure what we would do if the Premium stopped. We rely on it so much to support outsourced curriculum delivery. Many of our teachers are not confident teaching PE and I am not sure they would know where to start.” (PE Subject Leader of 1 year).
Perhaps the most encouraging feedback came from a school that has created a culture of daily movement:
"We’ve built an expectation that children move and play every day. That’s been a great legacy for us."
Simple ideas, such as providing child-led play equipment, have proven incredibly effective. One school shared how they filled wooden crates with play equipment like skipping ropes, foam discs, and chalk, rotating the items weekly to encourage new forms of play. These small, low-cost changes have made a big difference in fostering a love of movement among students.
Picture of wooden crates filled with lots of different play equipment. Courtesy of the author.
Some of the children’s playtime favourites include:
The Future of the Premium
While the Primary PE and Sport Premium is secured for at least one more year (2025 - 2026), its long-term future remains unclear. As we look ahead, it's crucial for schools to continue using the funding to foster a culture of movement, build an inclusive curriculum, and prioritise teacher development.
We must also use this time to reflect on the children whose needs are not yet being met and explore how to address these gaps as a matter of priority. Equally important is understanding what children from the "Premium generation" now expect from PE, sport, and physical activity. Retaining these opportunities and expectations remains a priority, beyond any short term decisions around funding.